MONROE, CT — Kim Cassia, who is the town’s Community and Social Services director, took a photo of the Northern Lights as seen from St. John’s Cemetery, 500 Moose Hill Road, Thursday night.
Many in Connecticut witnessed the brilliant display, also known as the Aurora Borealis, which is most commonly seen in the polar regions.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, those in Connecticut who missed the display may have a chance to see it tonight (Friday).
Blazing Pumpkins
Those driving along Main Street will soon see a brilliant display featuring dozens of carved jack-o-lanterns lit up at night under the cupola on Stepney Green. The Save Our Stepney Task Force (SOS) is sponsoring its annual Blazing Pumpkins on the green.
“On Sunday, Oct. 27, from 3 to 5 p.m. we will have some events, including a parade for those in costume with judging of a few categories,” Rick Smith, one of the organizers, said of the expanded event.
By popular demand, another Cake Walk will be held, with cake give-aways from local bakeries. The event will also have free popcorn, temporary tattoos and other fun activities to celebrate the fall.
“Come as you are to see the pumpkin artwork up close and just enjoy autumn with us, or dress-up and party with the neighborhood,” Smith said.
A Fall Tag Sale
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 466 Elm St., is having an Autumn Tag Sale on Oct. 19, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., rain or shine. A variety of items will be on sale, including artificial Christmas trees and holiday decor.
Pasta Fundraiser
The Monroe Police Union will have an all-you-can-eat pasta dinner fundraiser with a cash bar at Testo’s Ristorante, 505 Main St. in Monroe, on Monday, Oct. 14, at 5 p.m., to benefit retired town police officer Dennis Bradshaw and his wife, Carol, a longtime bus driver for Newtown schools, who lost their home to a flood on Aug. 18.
The Bradshaw family still doesn’t know if they can rebuild on their property, and the Monroe Police Union wants to help them through this period of uncertainty.
Tickets to this event are $50 per seat and $500 per table. Purchases can be made through Venmo, @Monroe-CT-Police-Union.
Businesses who want to donate items to the silent auction are encouraged to send an email to [email protected].
Trunk or Treat Car Show
A Trunk or Treat Car Show benefiting Special Olympics Connecticut will be held on Fireman’s Field on Saturday, Oct. 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Rain date: Sunday, Oct. 20).
The event is being organized by the Monroe Police Department and four car clubs throughout the region: Monroe Street Rodders, Round Town Cruisers, Trumbull Classic Car show and Connecticut Seaport Car Club with cooperation from the Monroe Volunteer Fire Department, which is allowing the use of its field, across the street on 18 Shelton Road.
The event is free for the public to attend and extra parking will be available at St. Jude Parish across the street.
A $15 entry fee for all cars and a bowl of candy to hand out to children are needed to participate in the car show with trunks decorated for Halloween. Participants without classic cars will park in a designated area.
For information, send an email to John Caruso from the Trumbull Classic Car Show or the Monroe Police Department at [email protected]. All proceeds will go to the Special Olympics.
Trunk or Treat at Clock Tower Square
The 5th Annual Trick-or-Treat the Plaza will be held at Clock Tower Square, 477 Main St., from 12 to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26. The event features children wearing Halloween costumes trick or treating at businesses decorated for the occasion.
This year’s participating businesses include:
- Newtown Savings Bank
- Building Blocks
- She Shed
- Centre Stage
- Pemberley Designer Consignments
- The Natural Pet Outlet
- Connecticut Dance
- Center For Natural Healing
- Full Circle Hot Yoga
The event will benefit the Monroe Food Pantry. Each businesses will have boxes for the drop-off of nonperishable goods throughout the month of October. Dog and cat food will also be welcomed.
Families are asked to begin at Building Blocks, where they will be handing out bags for the children to collect candy.
The event will also include:
- Sidewalk games at Newtown Savings Bank, which will also sponsor a Halloween Costume Contest. Individuals and families are welcome to participate. Winners will receive a gift basket with offerings from each business.
- Building Blocks will provide candy collection bags for the event.
- Pemberley Designer Consignments will hold sidewalk sales.
- The Natural Pet Outlet will hold a Dog Costume Contest with prizes at 11:30 a.m.
- Connecticut Dance will put on dance performances starting at 1:30 p.m.
- The Center For Natural Healing will offer temporary tattoos.
- Full Circle Hot Yoga will offer Spooky Yoga.
- The Monroe Volunteer Fire Department will have a fire truck on site for children to tour.
Library Events
Edith Wheeler Memorial Library will host a Big Truck Day on Oct. 20, from 10 a.m. to noon, and a Halloween Parade marching from the library to Monroe Town Hall and the Monroe Police Department from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Oct. 31.
A 5K for Kindness
NEWTOWN, CT — The Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary’s 4th annual Race for Catherine returns Oct. 13. Teams and individuals of all ages are invited to participate in the 5K for Kindness walk or run on a USA Track & Field certified and timed course at the Fairfield Hills Campus.
The event celebrates the life of Catherine Hubbard, a passionate animal lover who lost her life during the Sandy Hook tragedy, and all proceeds will benefit sanctuary programs fostering the human animal bond.
“We are so excited to welcome back runners and walkers from all around the country for this year’s Race for Catherine,” said Jenny Hubbard, president of the CVH Animal Sanctuary and Catherine’s mother. “It’s so incredible to see people getting out and running to help us bring Catherine’s vision of a more loving world to life. We are so grateful in advance to everyone who can show up here in person and virtually across the nation.”
This year’s race features adoptable animals, family-friendly entertainment, collectable swag, a free breakfast and rescued wildlife ambassadors, including a falcon and a tortoise. A Kids’ Kindness Dash for children ages 3 to 9 will also be held.
The Race for Catherine can also be joined virtually, anytime and from anywhere, from Oct. 11 through Oct. 13. For more information, visit cvhfoundation.org.
UMC Monroe Paper Shredding Fundraiser
Residents can securely dispose of sensitive household and business records during the United Methodist Church of Monroe’s Paper Shredding Fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 2. The event will take place in the Rite Aid parking lot, 435 Main St., at the corner of routes 25 and 59, from 9 a.m. until noon — rain or shine.
The fundraiser benefits church missions near and far. Individuals and businesses are welcome. There is no need to exit your vehicle, just pull up, pop open your trunk and volunteers will take care of the rest.
Participants pay a $10 donation for a standard archive box (15”x12”x10”) and prices increase by $5 according to container size. Payment: cash, check (made out to: UMC Monroe with “Paper Shredding” in the memo line) or credit/debit.
The church offers the shredding event through its partnership with PROSHRED Security and its employees.
Veterans Day Ceremony
American Legion Post 176 of Monroe and Post 160 of Easton will hold Veterans Day memorial services on the Stepney Green in Monroe on Nov. 11 at 11 a.m.
The Sippin-Winspur Post 176 is led by Commander Vic Yanosy and the Charles L. Ruman Post 160 is led by Commander Donald Rodgerson. They will officiate the ceremony.
Community leaders from Monroe and Easton along with decorated veterans and members of the Women’s Auxiliary will participate in the ceremony. Bishop Rodrigues from the Lady of the Holy Rosary will give the opening prayer and The Rev. Kevin Merritt of Stepney Baptist Church will offer the Benediction.
The Save Our Stepney Task Force will place 13 American Flags on the green to commemorate Flags Over Stepney.
The American flags are flown for each of our nation’s six patriotic events; Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, September 11th and Veterans Day. In addition to those flags, a flag is flown for each branch of the United States armed services.
The public is encouraged to attend, acknowledge and remember the veterans’ contributions and sacrifices.
National Recognition
Special Olympics Connecticut recently announced that Masuk High School will receive a national banner in recognition of its efforts to provide inclusive sports and activities for students with and without intellectual disabilities through its Special Olympics Unified Champion School programs.
Masuk met 10 national standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy and respect. These standards were developed by a national panel of leaders from the Special Olympics and the education community.
Masuk’s Unified Sports team is led by Head Coach Donald Casey Jr. and Coordinator Cindy Boucard.
“We are so proud of every athlete and partner who have been on our Unified Sports team at Masuk during the past two-and-a-half years,” Casey said. “They are all responsible for us earning this national recognition by promoting inclusion, working together as a team, being safe, respecting and supporting each other, learning new skills and having fun!”
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